Rangers have “held talks” to sign “powerful” star

Glasgow Rangers central midfielder Nicolas Raskin scored his second goal of the Scottish Premiership season with a header against Aberdeen at Ibrox on Tuesday night.

The Belgium international had only scored two goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, per Sofascore, before his header found the back of the net against the Dons.

Raskin has not quite his the offensive heights that he hit with a return of five goals and 11 assists in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, in the current term.

Rangers head coach Danny Rohl could help the Belgian star to get back to his best, though, by signing a natural number six to free up the midfielder to push forward and add more goals and assists to his game.

Rangers have held talks to sign new midfielder

The Light Blues are reportedly in the market to sign a holding midfielder whose arrival could help to get the best out of Raskin at Ibrox in the coming months.

According to RangersReview journalist Chris Jack, Glasgow Rangers have “held talks” to sign Sturm Graz central midfielder Tochi Chukwuani in the January transfer window.

The reporter claims that the Scottish giants are keeping tabs on the Danish midfield talent as they look to add more quality to Rohl’s squad before the end of the month.

In the attached RangersReview article, Rangers are said to be in the market to bring in a number six to sit at the base of the German manager’s midfield.

Chukwuani is high on their list of number six targets for the January transfer window, with reports on Thursday morning further claiming that they are now actually closing in on a deal to sign the player for around £4m.

Why Raskin would love Chukwuani

If Rangers can get a deal over the line to sign the Danish star before the end of the window, Rohl could have a midfielder who Raskin would love to play alongside at Ibrox.

As aforementioned, the Belgian star has not had as much joy offensively as he did in the 2024/25 campaign, but that could change if a defensive midfielder is signed to free him up.

Chukwuani is a natural defensive midfielder who can sit in front of the back four and screen the play, allowing both Connor Barron and Raskin to press high and look for turnovers in the opposition’s half more regularly, which can then lead to more chances to score and assist goals.

The 22-year-old Sturm Graz star is a tough-tackling midfielder, who – as shown in the clip above – can sometimes be overzealous in the challenge, and this means that he can be the anchor to hold down the midfield to free up others to provide attacking quality.

Per Sofascore, Chukwuani has averaged 2.4 tackles and interceptions and 6.6 ball recoveries per game in five appearances in the Europa League this season, whilst he has also impressed domestically.

As you can see in the table above, the Danish powerhouse ranks incredibly highly among defensive midfielders in the Austrian Bundesliga in a host of defensive metrics this season.

These statistics suggest that Chukwuani, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by analyst Kai Watson, can provide a strong presence in front of the likes of Emmanuel Fernandez and John Souttar, to ensure that Rohl has a strong spine to his team.

Having a defensively reliable and physical player like the Dane in the number six position would provide Raskin with more freedom to push forward in an attempt to contribute more in the final third, as he would know that there is cover behind him in midfield.

That is why the Belgium international could love playing alongside Chukwuani, as it could allow him to get back to his best from an attacking perspective.

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It is now down to the club to work out a deal with Sturm Graz to bring the exciting young defensive midfielder to Ibrox before the end of the window.